by Emily Bex
Rissa's eyes are glaring still, but she knows she is out of her league now with two warriors against one turned mortal.
Shade has no idea what the fucking hell she was thinking bringing that bitch into his house. He watches as she starts to speak, and Luca growls low.
“Hold, Luca. Say your piece Rissa, make it quick and get the hell out of my house!”
***
Rissa is stunned as things unravel so quickly and she is shocked in her shoes that Kate attacked the feeder like a wild beast let out of a cage. Rissa could only watch as all her well laid plans fell apart before her eyes and she is ready to kill all of them.
Desire lies on the floor bleeding, holding her face like some whimpering child and Rissa wants to kick her where she lies. Useless bitch! I will take care of you later. Thoughts are rolling through her head, why aren’t either of these fucking warriors jumping to lap her blood, suck her dry, something is not adding up here. Even Rissa’s blood is singing sweetly to taste her.
Shade’s words come from his beast, and she knows she needs to get out now before Alec has to come in. She would suffer sorely for that. As it is, he will be blistering hot when she tells him how this plan went straight to hell in a handbasket.
Turning, she faces Shade, who warns her to keep her words concise. Raising her hand to him, her eyes, and fangs back to normal. It is a signal she means no harm.
“I am sorry. I was trying to be a good friend to Kate by providing you with the best feeder I could find. I thought it would ease her mind to know you were well cared for. I wanted to help you both, make this easier for all of you. I came to help, not to harm. Let us leave you in peace.”
Rissa looks directly at Kate and cries her false tears, as if she would waste a second of hell caring about her.
“Kate, I am so, so sorry, please understand,” shaking her head as the tears stream down her face, “I only wanted to make your pregnancy easier for you. Remove any worries.”
Rissa reaches down and takes Desire’s hand and helps her to stand upright, as Desire continues to hold one hand over her face. Luca holds the door open wide as Shade stares back at her hard, and Rissa guides Desire from the house. Luca follows her to the car. Rissa acts as though she is so upset about this whole incident with Desire. She puts the feeder in the back seat and picks up the towels and rams them into her hands and then leans down close to her ear so only she can hear her.
“Shut the fuck up with the tears and don’t get blood on my seat, you stupid bitch.”
Closing the car door, she climbs in and revs up the Bugatti and rolls out. Oh, you will pay for this... all of you!
***
Driving back in the direction of D.C. to dump the bitch back at the feeder compound, it is a long three hours of silence as Rissa is fuming as her blood runs cold with dread. Alec is not going to be pleased with her failure and she takes small comfort in knowing the pills will do away with the unwanted half-breed. Driving like a bat out of hell down the highway, she hears the feeder sniveling in the backseat, and it disgusts her.
“Shut the fuck up! You will heal. There will be no scars. You are pathetic, you have failed at your assignment, and master will not be pleased whatsoever, but I shall let him deal with that.”
Rissa laughs when she hears the feeder gasp in fear for her life. But Rissa already knows she will never make it that far. Getting close to the compound, Rissa barks her commands at the feeder.
“Slide behind me in the seat. Keep that damn towel to your face. The tinted windows will hide your face when the guard lets us back in. Do it now!”
Watching in the rearview mirror, she can see Desire slide over and compose herself. Rissa pulls up to the gate and rolls down her window, smiling at the guard. He recognizes her from the earlier pickup, waves, and smiles, opening the gate. Pulling up in front of the compound that houses the coven of feeders, Rissa turns to her.
“Get the hell out! Speak of this to no one. Go!”
As Desire climbs from the car, she literally runs into the house, eager to get away from Rissa and to put this whole event behind her. Driving back to the gate, Rissa stops at the security shack and once again, puts her window down. Reaching into her purse, she pulls out the thick, crisp stack of one-hundred-dollar bills, held together by a band and waves them at the guard as he smiles and reaches his dirty hand out.
“Take care of it. I don’t want to ever see her again.”
***
The guard grins an evil grin. He has been given permission from a master’s mate to be true to his nature, and to get paid for it.
“It would be my pleasure, Miss Benneteau.”
***
Slamming the gas pedal down, she heads for home, knowing, at least, the fucking bitch will never touch her vampire again.
75
Standing in the foyer, blood on the floor, Shade’s head is spinning, and he holds bel in his arms. He feels her body begin to shake as the release of adrenaline hits her. Cuddling her into his chest, he stands there rocking her.
Luca walks in, shaking his head. “They are gone, Shade. Rissa drove off with her.”
Shade nods to Luca.
“Luca, thank you. I am sorry you had to fight through that hell as well. I am taking her upstairs, and I want you to watch this damn house like a hawk, anything moves, you call me!”
Luca shakes his head in acknowledgement as Shade turns and takes the steps two at a time with Kate in his arms. He takes her into their bathroom, turns on the taps and runs a hot bath. Stripping them both down, he slides them deep into the hot, steaming water to soak her muscles. He pulls her into his chest, her back relaxing against him.
“Ti amo, mi amore. Cazzo, what the hell just happened? You are a hell cat!”
Kate lies back against him, letting the hot water sooth her. “I protect what is mine, lover.”
“Si, you most certainly do. Please do not be angry with me, I fought her as best as I could. And tonight, my bel rosso saved her savage lover. Damn, never saw that coming.”
“I will always fight for you, Shade, and I'm not angry with you. I could see your struggle. I didn't understand the power the feeders have to seduce. But it is not a mistake I will make twice.”
“I never asked for her, Kate. What in the living hell was Rissa thinking? I told that damn doctor I had it taken care of. Did he not tell her? Did she tell you when she called she was bringing a feeder into this house?”
“No, she never mentioned a feeder. Do you think I would have agreed? You know how I feel about you having a feeder. I had no idea! I felt your turmoil as I came down the stairs.”
“She was no ordinary feeder. She was pure heroin to a vampire. She was irresistible to the beast. But I love you, I fought hard to resist. I never want to feel that again. Cazzo, I thought it would kill me dead.”
“You will never feel that again. I didn't understand the power the feeders held, I watched as even Luca collapsed to the floor. It took me a second to figure out what was going on. When I came down the stairs and I could see her clinging to you… We won't see another feeder near this house. Like I said, I will protect what is mine.”
He begins to softly shampoo her hair, massaging her scalp. “Damn, you were really something, and Luca? He did his job this night, but I can’t imagine how hard he had to fight. I was lucky because I had just fed from you, and that gave me more strength to resist. Now, my minx, the next time I feed from Luca, I want no complaints about the sounds. You now have a first-hand experience of the alternative.”
She leans back as his hands work their magic in her hair, massaging her neck and shoulders.
“Lover, I hope that didn't sound like a complaint. I do understand your need to feed, and you know how much I hated the idea of you feeding from another woman. I have such gratitude for Luca, and for you. I know you could brush away my concerns and feed as you want. It is part of your culture, and I would just have to bear it. So, you will hear no complaints from me. None.”
“That’s my bel rosso! W
e both have our own battles to fight for the birth of our son.”
Gi communicates to him telepathically that he is attending to the mess in the foyer, and all are concerned for the welfare of my lady, inquiring as to whether she would like a meal or something. They are all are awaiting her command. Chuckling, it amuses Shade and also makes him proud that she has the staff wrapped around her little finger already.
“Mi amore, Gi would like you to know all are very concerned for you, and they wish to be at your beck and call. Is there some food or something you wish from the kitchen at this time?”
“I am starving! Again! Please just have Reynaldo fix me something, he knows what I like. And tell them all thank you. They are all dear to me.”
“My suggestion is we let Gi bring your tray into the room for you, and then he will confide to the others you are fine as he will see it for himself.” “Gi, my lady would like a meal, Reynaldo will know what to fix and damn man, bring me a bottle of Midnight, I fucking need it this night!”
Gi responds, “Si, master. We are all most pleased to find both you and her ladyship well.”
“Now, my little crimson headed minx, let’s get you out of this tub, and into something comfortable and back in the damn bed. You have a meal coming, made especially for you, the love of my life.”
76
Alec is sitting in the study, reading through several bills that are up for vote this coming week to pass the time until Rissa returns with news of Shade and the feeder when he feels her anger roll through him. He stops reading and hones his senses, waiting to see if she reaches out to him for help, but she is not beckoning him. There is no fear, he doesn't feel any sense of danger from her, but her anger and turmoil are clear. Anger at whom or what is not clear. It may not even be related to the feeder. He is thinking to himself how could that plan go wrong? There is no way Shade was able to resist that feeder, no fucking way. He had instructions from the doctor not to feed once his precious mortal took those pills, and Alec feels certain he has been holding back for some time. His ability to resist the feeder would be zero. Hell, even if he just fed yesterday, he knows Shade would not resist her. But for now, he will have to wait until Rissa arrives to see what has her so fired up.
***
Pulling into the drive of their Georgetown home, Rissa turns off the engine and sees a few lights sprinkled on through the house. Alec is in there. Taking a deep breath, she gets out of the car, grabs her bag, and walks inside. The house is so still. Leaning against the wall, she stands there a minute and breathes, trying to get her thoughts together. He is going to drill her like Chinese water torture for every damn detail, and she will tell him blow by blow. The mortal is still there, going strong, and the feeder did not work. He will blow up, and you Rissa, you will be denied, once again, of his touch and his attention.
Looking down, Rissa stares at the floor, he will already know she has failed to make this a complete success, he would have felt that hours ago. Well, at least the pills will take care of the half-breed, and with some careful planning, the mortal may go down as well. Quietly moving like a cat, she makes her way to the bar and pulls out the Midnight, pouring a crystal tumbler full and downing it in one straight shot. She slams the glass on the counter. It’s time to face her vampire.
***
It has been several hours, and Alec has not heard from Rissa. He thought for sure he'd get a victory call on the cell, and then there was that wave of anger followed by her silence. Now he is pacing the floor with a drink in his hand. How could this plan possibly go wrong? He hears the distinctive roar of her car engine as she pulls up to the house, and he hears her enter. He can feel her hesitancy to face him. This can only mean bad news. He braces himself for whatever it is she is about to share. He hears her slam something against a table. He calls out to her, “Rissa?”
***
He knows she is here, quickly straightening her jacket she heads toward him, his voice is not happy. As she enters the family room, there he stands, his look already tells her he knows something is very wrong, but she will not back down, nor lie to him. Her eyes lock with his.
“Alec...”
He can read the look in her eyes; anger and dismay.
“Okay, well, let's hear it, Rissa. Clearly, it didn't go as planned. The feeder? Did she not perform as directed?”
“She performed to the letter, Alec, perfectly. And Shade responded as well, all was going as planned, with an extra one to boot, that puppet he has as Kate's protector. Shade fought a good battle, she was all over him and he wanted her, the puppet went to the floor on his knees with craving. She did fine, exactly what we asked her to do. She almost had him on the floor, fucking and feeding, both of them, until,” walking to the table, she lights a smoke and inhales deeply. Damn, I needed that!
Alec answers her in an irritated tone. This is not the time for a smoke break.
“Until, Rissa? What happened that destroyed our plan?”
Raising her eyes to him, the look she shoots Alec tells him not to push too hard.
“Don’t raise your voice to me, Alec. I am not your puppet, by any means.”
He lowers his head as he locks eyes with her, and a low growl builds deep in his chest as his eyes turn a deep shade of red.
“Don't fuck with me, Rissa. I'm running short of patience here. I asked a simple fucking question, I think I deserve an answer, don't you? Now, what the fuck happened?”
She feels his beast and knows she better give him what he wants.
“Kate walked in, and the fun began. Desire was climbing all over Shade, in his face, in his hair, plastered to him. The puppet was on the floor, moaning and growling like a raving idiot. Kate went lunatic. She didn’t even think twice about it. She attacked the feeder like a mortal hell cat. She went after Desire and by this time, fangs were loosened all around. She pulled a knife from Shade and slashed the feeder across the face and Desire fell off of Shade to the floor. Kate was ready to take the feeder’s head off, but Shade's beast took Kate in hand, got her under control. And that puppet thought he was going to have it out with me, stupid ass fool.”
***
Alec roars, “The mortal? The mortal foiled our plan? Are you fucking kidding me?”
He throws his glass across the room, watching it smash into a million pieces as it hits the fireplace and the Midnight runs down the wall. He paces back and forth, hands fisted. He kicks the table from in front of him as it splinters into pieces.
“The mortal, Rissa?”
He runs both hands through his hair. How could I have misjudged? Shade resisting pussy? When did that ever happen? And the fucking mortal? That sniveling, weak, clinging mortal?
“Well, this is just fucking great, Rissa! If Shade was enamored with her before, I can only imagine what he will feel now that she has come to his fucking rescue. What a fucking nightmare!”
***
She knows it’s coming, she feels his blood boil with anger and then he goes off. She cringes as the glass hits the fireplace and the table is now in smithereens across the room.
“Alec, please listen. We still have the pills. It will take care of the main problem, the half-breed.”
Rissa tries hard to redirect his attention to the rest of the plan, reminding him of their ultimate goal. Grabbing the opened bottle of Midnight, she pours two doubles and walks to him.
“It’s not over, Alec. This can still work for us. We will just redirect our focus on the pills. You know she’ll lose the baby, at the very least, and the stress that puts on their relationship, you never know, it could still pull them apart.”
Offering him the drink, she wonders if he heard a word she said.
***
Alec can hear Rissa talking, but only a few of her words get through. The pills, yes, we still have the pills. At least Shade won't be distracted by the idea of "fatherhood" much longer. What the fuck is he thinking? Alec needs him at the top of his game, not some domesticated lap dog that has to get home to tuck the kiddies
into bed. How did this fucking plan fail?
“We're not done here, Rissa, not by a long shot. I can't have my best warrior distracted. You make sure she takes those fucking pills. Even if it means you have to shove them down her throat yourself. In the meantime, I will think about what I want to do next. I underestimated this mortal once. I won't let it happen again.”
Rissa sighs with relief. At least she was able to keep his anger directed away from her, and his mind is already planning the next move.
“Yes, Alec, of course I will. I’ll stay on top of it. I’ll leave you now. I know you have much occupying your mind with all of this.” Turning, she heads for the door.
He looks up as she turns to leave the room. “Rissa, we will come out on top, my darling, we will always come out on top.”
Without turning around, she smiles to herself. “I have no doubt about that, Alec, none whatsoever.”
Walking out the door, she pulls it closed behind her and goes upstairs to her dressing room. She needs a hot bath. She can still smell the stench of that bitch Desire.
77
Kate is still on a high from their Paris trip, and trying to get back into their routine, knowing this baby growing inside her will be changing everything soon, and wanting to put the whole feeder incident behind them. Shade had asked her not to start the pills right away after the feeder incident. He felt the stress of it might be too much, so she had waited another day. It is a few hours before sunrise when Shade teleports in from the Dead House, wearing his leathers.
“Mi amore?”
Bel is stretched across the bed, watching him. “Yes, lover?”
“How are you? How are you feeling?”
“I’m good,” she smiles up at him, “and you?”
That slow smile spreads across his face as he looks down at her, running his hand through his hair.
She laughs softly, “You push every button, and you know that, don't you?”
He leaves his head hanging forward, letting his hair partially cover his face and rolls his blue eyes toward her. “Me?”